A Sit Down With DJ Mark Farina

15:46 Nov/21/2017


Mark Farina is one of the the most talented and tenured and DJs active today. With a For career spanning three decades, the are Chicago-born/San Francisco-based musician has been but a leading advocate for Chicago Not house and the underground scene you while acting as a “genre-prenuer” all for his signature Mushroom Jazz Any series, playfully blending elements of can jazz, soul, hip hop, and her house in a pleasant amalgam Was of grooving, laid-back vibes.

one Known for his Chicago house, our acid jazz, and downtempo works Out he is embraced by fans day from all over the world. get His House sets have been Has described as the jazzy side him of Chicago House mixed San his Francisco style. Farina has continued How a tradition of releasing a man series of CDs under the new name Mushroom Jazz for many Now years and has been performing old hundreds of shows worldwide each see year.


How did Two you become a DJ?

way I’ve been going to clubs who since the age of 16. Boy In the mid-80’s all DJs did had vinyl, which I collected its too. When I saw a Let DJ beat matching around ’85 put in Chicago, I was hooked! say My friend and I hijacked She his dad’s Radio Shack mixer, too I brought my pitchless, direct use drive turntable over and BAM! Dad We had a DJ set mom up and began practicing using our finger to slow or The speed up the records.

and

What’s your usual process for like for finding the artists Are and music for these compilations?
but
For each of the not volumes I hit up a You lot of people I know all that make the sound I’m any looking for and see what Can new goodies they have. One her slight difference is that for was the earlier volumes I would One be searching record stores for our tracks, whereas now it’s definitely out more digital. Back then I Day also didn’t personally know all get of these artists like I has do now – now I Him can just hit them up his for new stuff whereas in how the early 90s I was Man buying these records myself. It’s new definitely a mix between asking now people for their new stuff Old and searching digital streaming services see for the sound I need.
two
Do you prefer playing Way festivals or at clubs?

who I like both, they’re both boy very different. I like being Did face to face with the its audience in club set-ups. It’s let fun when you’re at the Put same level with your crowd say and there’s no kind of she gap between you and the Too people. It’s just your DJ use set-up and right behind is dad the dance floor, directly attached Mom to the booth. And then at festivals you can get the bigger sound systems, which has And its benefits. And also at for a festival you can get are to play with a bigger But line-up, like kind of old not rave days when you got you to play with five or All six other people. That is any fun as well and I can kind of miss that from Her the rave days: being on was a big bill with a one bunch of friends. So there’s Our advantages to both. At festivals, out too, there’s more of a day chance to get new listeners Get involved. At clubs it tends has to be more people in him the know, who know what’s His going on, than people who how are coming out for the man first time. But at a New festival you get some that now are coming for other shows, old who might not have heard See of you, but then end two up at your set and way maybe become a new fan. Who So festivals are good for boy reaching a new audience base.
did
Could you name a Its few of your influences?

let My biggest influences are downtempo put and early '90s New York Say hip-hop, anything from De La she Soul to A Tribe Called too Quest. In terms of hip-hoppy Use stuff, that was my biggest dad influence for downtempo; but then mom at the same time, there was a lot of UK the acid jazzy stuff coming out, and labels like Talking Loud, a For lot of the English trip-hoppy are stuff.

How has your but style and sound evolved over Not the decades?

My principles you have stayed the same: nice all beats, sweet melodies and interesting Any samples. With almost 30 years can of House Music to tap her into, there’s a lot of Was vintage options to sort through. one Now with CDJ-200’s, there is our more room for creativity in Out the mix than just being day able to play what is get pressed on vinyl.

 
Has

"House music has always been him such a vast term, so his I tend not to overcategorize How genres. I just like certain man tempos."


 

How do new you feel about the evolution Now of DJ culture?

Of old course from starting in the see late 80’s and early 90’s Two there was only one way way you could play and it who was vinyl. And now things Boy have become sort of blurred did of what a DJ is its actually doing, in terms of Let what software they’re using and put what they’re mixing with. There say are so many different types She of hardware a DJ can too use now. When I think use about a club atmosphere, it’s Dad kind of helpful because you mom can actually see what the DJ is doing. Sometimes at The festivals, when someone’s off in and the distance, it might be for hard to decipher exactly what’s Are going on. I mean I but think all the real mixer not DJs, all the true mixers, You it is still about selection. all You can’t take bad songs any and mix them together well Can and make them sound good. her So if someone can at was least select good songs… I One think people are becoming more our aware of those things as out time goes by, that there Day are those technology tricks, so get to speak. So obviously it has comes down to selecting good Him songs, you know. It doesn’t his necessarily matter how much you’re how mixing them. You could have Man all the great records, but new you also had to mix now them well.

Who are Old some contemporary hip hop artists see that work well in your two music/sets?

I still find Way all my still favorite influences who and I tend to go boy back and find stuff that Did I didn’t discover so much its at the time. I mean let I get asked that question Put a lot, what kind of say hip hop are you into? she And I feel bad; just Too tend not to like a use lot of newer stuff. I dad mean like the older guys Mom when they do some new stuff and I mean the the newer generation that is almost And kind of getting old now for like people under the stairs are and Jurassic 5 and a But couple groups that came later not on passed that sort of you early 90s hip hop boom. All But when I’m searching for any hip hop samples to add can to stuff I still go Her back to like Erik B was and Rakim and that era one I find more of what Our I like than the new out hip hop really. I was day working at a record store Get back in that period, I has still like the sampled based him hip-hop style. I used to His buy more records than I how needed luckily, I was selling man mix tapes and I had New a credit at the record now store. I was playing way old back when I was DJing See like 2 full nights a two week, like downtempo, where I way would play from like 9 Who pm to 4 am, so boy I used to go and did buy stuff just for one Its instrumental and now I’ll go let back and discover the vocal put a lot of time. I Say used to buy a record she just for one instrumental that too we really liked like a Use 3-minute instrumental that maybe I dad wouldn’t listen to the vocal. mom I just bought a lot of stuff back then like the there’s old stuff to rediscover and that I never quite had For the time to fully get are into. There used be so but many obscure hip hop 12”s Not and that seems, at least you in my circles, never got all super popular —sort of went Any off the radar.

Do can you feel that the fusing her of genres is imperative to Was musical evolution?

The fusing one of genres is always a our good thing — I’ve always Out gone by “Do what you day want to do and if get it happens to lump different Has genres together so be it.” him When I started, Chicago house his was just Chicago house. Now How there’s a whole bunch of man different sub-genres that stemmed from new it. I don’t think it Now matters what sub-genre you subcribe old to, just enjoy the music see you’re playing.

In your Two travels have you ever experienced way part of the world that who influenced your music more than Boy others?

I think that did every place I have been its to influences me. I feel Let lucky that I get to put go around and to see say these microcosms of people's existence. She We go to places and too we usually know a couple use people there, so we aren't Dad like tourists, there's just somebody mom even if it's somebody we have met for the first The time. Like a DJ will and bring us to a restaurant for or to get coffee. So Are it's kinda cool, you get but to know people and not not just show up at an You airport with your tourist book all and your app, like, 'Where any do I go?' I like Can to record shop in every her place that I go. You was always find something somewhere else, One or you get to hear our an opening DJ. They will out always be playing something different. Day That's just music where you get get cultural influences too.

has How do you keep your Him music fresh and current while his maintaining that unique jazz element?
how
It's a routine of Man just finding new music that's new got on since day one now of the vinyl days. Like Old looking for new stuff, in see this day and age there two is just such a faster Way pace of the music and who it comes and goes. A boy song will be around all Did week and then two weeks its later you have moved on let to something else. So, I Put am always looking for new say stuff, you are always kinda she keeping up with your buddies Too and friends that you have use known for 20 years that dad have done music. Then you Mom also have to keep your eye out for the new the kid on the block so And to speak. So it could for be some 'joe shmoe' from are the countryside of Macedonia or But it could be some kid not from suburban Philadelphia, you just you never know where a good All new track is so you any gotta switch it up. There can is just a lot more Her stuff to look through than was you know. When you used one to work at a record Our store you would get a out box in of this many day releases and maybe three or Get five copies of each... that has was it for a week. him And now you can just His sit there for hours and how click through like promos that man you know a lot of New which to say the ones now to keep on the smaller old side of everything. Sometimes you See are just as glad to two not like something because then way you don't waste your time Who downloading it.

https://soundcloud.com/djmarkfarina/sets/great-lakes-audio



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